Elizabeth Hammack
ANTH 2030-001
11/18/2015
The Modern Understanding of Archaeology
The Oseberg ship was a fantastic discovery of the nineteen hundreds. It was found in
1903 by a farmer named Knut Rom. He brought his discovery to Gabriel Gustafson the head of
the antiquity department at modern day Oslo University. Gustafson lead the excavation on the
site. This was a burial ship containing two female skeletons and some unique artifacts that
indicated that at least one of the two women was wealthy. These artifacts were preserved and are
now on display at the Viking Museum in Oslo, Norway. Sadly the methods used to preserve the
wood has made them extremely brittle. (Museum of Cultural history, The Oseberg finds)
Gabriel Gustafson the director of the Oseberg dig site, did exactly what was exactable in
archaeology during the early nineteen hundreds. He used the methods which were well known
and preserved the artifacts with materials that were available. If the burial site was discovered
today, the process of the dig would be handle differently. It has become increasingly important
for modern archaeologist to document every detail of a dig.
I cannot go back in time to be the director of the Oseberg site, but if we create a
hypothetical situation where the discovery was found in our current year of 2015, then it is
plausible to discuss how if I were the director what I would do.
From the information I have read, the Oseberg ship was found by the farmer Knut Rom.
He had partially dug out the ship when he went to Gustafson. So let us assume for the sake of our
hypothetical situation that Knut Rom came to me with the same condition. The first thing that I
would do is survey the area. Because the dig was partially dug some of the ships timbers could
be seen. I would use GPR (ground-penetrating radar) to try to find the rest of the ship. (Robert K.
& Thomas D, Chapter 4, Page 69)
It would be a higher cost but I would think that in the long run that it would save a lot of
time. Plus it would be easier to see the rest of the timbers of the ship making the dig faster and
more precise. As we would begin to dig I would have the team make careful notes of where each
item corresponds to each other. I would also use photography and video to document an artifacts
context.
Of course it would be important to shift through the soil, to see if there are any small
artifacts that could have been missed. If the artifacts were tiny, then it would be more reasonable
to use water screening. (Robert K. & Thomas D, Chapter 3, Page 49) These methods were not
used during the early nineteen hundreds, which could mean that they lost some precious artifacts.
When Gustafson and his team completely dug out the site, the timbers of the burial ship
along with all the recovered artifacts were sent to a lab where the scientist “used typical
preservation techniques of the day: all the wooden artifacts were treated to various mixtures of
linseed oil, creosote, and/or potassium aluminium sulfate (alum), then coated in lacquer.” (About
Education, Oseberg-Viking Burial ship)
Due to time the wooden artifacts of the Oseberg ship began to deteriorate even with the
protective coating making the wood extremely brittle. If the ship had been found today these
artifacts would be preserved in a precise manor.
The way archaeologist preserve wood is vastly different from when the Oseberg ship was
found. During the excavation there was an observation made that the wood and soil around the
ship was damp. Before the scientist could apply any protective coats the wood was left out to
dry, which is attributed to the wood becoming brittle.
There are many methods of preserving wooden object in our modern times. One of the
simpler ways is called the Polyethylene Glycol or PEG method. In this process the water is
removed and replaced with somewhat of a wax substance. The wooden object is place in a vat
with a solution of PEG. Then heated slowly, this part of the processes can take a few days to a
couple of weeks. (Department of Anthropology, Wood conservation)
After the process is completed the excess wax substance is wiped or even melted off. In
this process the wood is not only preserved but has gained strength and stability (Department of
Anthropology, Wood conservation). If archaeologist of the past could have used this modern
method, the Oseberg ship and all of its wooden artifacts would not be brittle and in danger of
being forever lost.
One thing that has been done is the Radiocarbon dating of the remains that were found in
the burial chamber of the ship. This was done in modern times because this method of dating is
more accurate and reliable. Scientist found that“(the) grave chamber timbers gave a precise date
of the construction as 834 AD. Radiocarbon dating of the skeletons returned a date of 1220-1230
BP, consistent with the tree ring dates.” (About Education, Oseberg- Viking burial ship) This
helped to determine the correct timespan of the construction and death of its passengers.
In our hypothetical situation modern technology has improved to better preserve artifacts.
It has also helped to give more precise dates and better understanding of a lost culture. Though
the meticulous efforts of modern archaeology we can further our understanding of ancient people
and how their lives were shaped.
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<http://www.ancient-origins.net/history/oseberg-ship-burial-astounded-archaeologists-excellentpreservation-020298>.
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